I'm a teacher and I'm scared.

[NebularNerd]

I don't feel safe going back to work in September. When I became a teacher I did not anticipate doing so during a pandemic. I, like many others in secondary schools, will be facing up to 150 students a day, indoors, with no protection.
I am over 40 but not otherwise in a high risk category, although my husband is and we have elderly parents who will be exposed if I'm infected, as well as young children who will also be in school and potentially exposed.
I'm not disputing the need for children to return to school at all. I'm just starting to fear returning.
Anyone else feel this way?

[BelleSausage]

No one is talking about not going back to school at all. The only hysterics I see on this thread and others about school come from the people who are claiming a teacher being frightened = no school at all.

That’s not what any teacher is suggesting. We all want to teach our students. We’d just like the same protections as other work places. Masks are now mandatory in shops and on buses. Many transport workers died on the first wave before these rules were enforced.

What is the difference between sitting on a bus with thirty adults for 8 hours a day and sitting in a room of thirty 18 year old for eight hours a day? Is there a difference?

[Piggywaspushed]

How many times do we have to say we are not allowed masks before someone acknowledges it!

[AAT65]

I go back tomorrow for INSET and yes I'm scared too. We are allowed to wear masks but little point if no one else is. I have come off social media as too many photos of colleagues who are clearly not social distancing. We won't be using staffroom as top small. Better look out the flask!

[Piggywaspushed]

I don't have windows in my room so the ventilation bit will go well!

[BelleSausage]

All the experts are saying the the government’s school opening plan is a distaste. Which is why I think it won’t go ahead.

I suspect that the article this morning was posturing by Johnson. He has established that he has the moral high ground and that teaching unions are dangerously immoral.

So he can cheerfully blame them when he has to u-turn or change his plan. Boris, friend of the parent, will be very outraged that the unions (as if they had any power) have forced him to row back in school opening but his hands are tied yadda yadda yadda. Exit stage right.

[BelleSausage]

It distaste! Disaster.

[Piggywaspushed]

Evidence for the 6% stat?

The 'full schedule' at secondary would be at least 5 hours screen time a day followed by homework probably using screens. Most school rowed back from that. Harvard paediatricians recently expressed concern citing a maximum of 2 hours for smaller children, and 4 for teens would be optimal.

[NebularNerd]

@phlebasconsidered

I'm not special. I'm 50, asthmatic (risk factor), menopausal (risk factor), with an autoimmune condition (risk factor) and in 5 years have had 2 days off work. But now I am expected to be "special".

So special that I can stand in a small, poorly ventilated room all day from 8.30 till 3.45 without a break until 12.40 when I get twenty minutes (during which I have to clean the bubble/colander toilets - another risk factor) with over 30 kids, in a room designed for 20, with no basic mask, ppe, or chance to stand even a metre away from them. They will face me all day, talking (risk factor) they'll eat with me, i'll wipe the tables up after them (risk factor) and then touch every single book to mark them (risk factor). In a big yeargroup bubble of approx 100.

Without the same protection as ANY OTHER OFFICE WORKER.

I am NOT special - that's the whole bloody point! So why I am being treated as if I am magically immune?

Because morally, (says the man with no morals at all - just ask the child he disavowes) says we must.

And fyi, teachers and education staff are now actually above hospital staff in terms of cases. And that's from the few weeks we opened up with limited children.

I am not special - I just want a mask or a plastic screen! I am petrified I or my kids ( both in massive yeargroup bubbles) will infect my elderly mum who lives with us and has vascular dementia (risk factor).

Bravo! Love this post 👍

[MarshaBradyo]

If the unions don’t have the power then I doubt the government will u-turn.

There’s no need to look so weak against them at this point.

Schools will be closed by locality and cases.

[noblegiraffe]

If you are too scared to do your job, you should resign.

Hi, I’m your kid’s maths teacher. If I resign I won’t be replaced. Your kid will then be taught maths by a series of supply teachers who aren’t actually maths teachers but more likely PE teachers, or maybe even not qualified teachers at all.

Are you sure you want me to resign instead of asking for my workplace to have the same protections as afforded to other workers?

Really sure?

[Gurtcha]

@ilovebagpuss

I’m really sorry you are scared - I was terrified driving to the care home my manager sent me to from the office to give payroll support during lockdown.
I remember the empty roads and driving along with the Darth Vader march coming to mind. Thinking why have I got to be out here?
We did Sadly loose a few of our very frail residents and a lot of staff were sick with it myself included.
Thankfully none of the staff were hospitalised and that includes asthmatics (me) and some very overweight staff. Many residents recovered quickly.
I hope you don’t think I’m minimising your worries I’m not you are allowed to be scared too. I just want to offer some balance as the hype suggests anyone getting it will immediately be struck down and die.
It’s quite low risk and my experience was a slightly worse than normal cold for a week.
I hope you can wear a mask which might help? Although all the PPE in the world didn’t stop our staff getting it.
However that was in a environment where the intimate personal care required added the extra risk.

OP read this. Read it again and again and then again. This is perspective and IME reflects the reality of working during the pandemic.

To those that think healthcare workers etc are safe because of the lot they have, you’re wrong. That’s why too many of us have died. In some ways, we’re at much at risk as any body without the correct kit. If we’re talking about well ventilated areas, I challenge you to find me a hospital that is well ventilated with any space that isn’t packed with people. Honestly, the people that believe this have not set foot in a hospital with the knowledge that we have.

As for this being a healthcare worker’s job. It’s no more out job to continue through this pandemic as it is anyone else. This is a 1 in 100 years thing we have here, I certainly didn’t think about this when I signed up. It wasn’t something that was going to happen then. All the other infectious disease we are exposed to have cures, vaccines, reliable tests we can call upon to keep us safe. This doesn’t have any of those.

Like I said before, this isn’t a race to the bottom. Everyone is entitled to be scared, everyone is entitled to worry. Stop putting different groups against eachother, it isn’t helping. Take our advice and our knowledge of what’s really going on. The hyperbole is making worse for yourself and others.

[mumsneedwine]

Please tell me who else has a workplace that looks like this. With 5 different sets of people in it. Most rooms don't have outside doors and windows that open 5cm. Shops ? No had limited numbers and SD. Offices ? No have SD and few staff in. Hospitals ? No have testing, one on one mostly & PPE. I want to go back and do my job and I want to stay back. And this will not work. 15 year olds will spread the virus as much as adults. This is a stock photo not one of mine. My classrooms can be even more crowded than this.

[savagebaggagemaster]

OP I could have written your post. I teach in a 3-18 school. I'm nearer 50, my parents are shielding and after seeing what my sister has gone through with Covid (she's still suffering with long lasting effects after contracting it in April) I, too, am petrified of returning to work. I wish I had something comforting to say, but I don't, so instead I'm offering you a very unmumsnetty hug.

[Ickabog]

@noblegiraffe

If you are too scared to do your job, you should resign.

Hi, I’m your kid’s maths teacher. If I resign I won’t be replaced. Your kid will then be taught maths by a series of supply teachers who aren’t actually maths teachers but more likely PE teachers, or maybe even not qualified teachers at all.

Are you sure you want me to resign instead of asking for my workplace to have the same protections as afforded to other workers?

Really sure?

You're a rare sight noble, I don't think there are many maths teachers left these days. Our local secondary has been trying to recruit for the last 2 years.

[noblegiraffe]

mums what also needs pointing out is that photo is taken from the position of a teacher with their back up against their whiteboard. The notion that teachers can teach and remain distanced from the kids is just nonsense.

[dottiedodah]

Firstly I want to say "I hear you" .If I were a Teacher I would be worried too.However the practicalities of going back at a later date would be very difficult as you are probably aware! Then government would be best to surely open part time at least to begin with .Less pupils at time and more chance to track them .Again most parents are at work and need Schools to reopen and get the economy back on track.What does the Union say re PPE ? Surely the school will have handwashing rules at the very least?

[mumsneedwine]

@noblegiraffe v true. While teaching year 10s in small groups in June I manage to stay 30cm away from my students. I measured it. With a full classroom I will be standing over the front toes desk, breathing all over them. And them me. Can't see the problem🤪

[Glamazoni]

Is there any other virus in the world that children cannot catch and spread? Of course there are many viruses that children catch and don’t suffer from as badly as adults. But can you name a virus that children don’t catch and spread? I can’t. Why should coronavirus be any different?

[Playdoughbum]

Masks: the Head can allow you to wear a mask or gloves. They can say no. If I went to work in a shop I can wear a mask- but as a teacher my Head can say no I can’t. Mine is luckily very sensible and won’t do that.
Hand washing: one sink for 30 pupils. Any idea how long that takes? And how many complaints we then get about sore hands?!
The govt are offering no funding for extra cleaning/equipment - in a state run provision. So those schools with crap management will not provide enough.

As someone said before- we want the same protection that say, an office worker has. No more. But we then think we are special?

In upper primary some of the kids are bigger than me. I don’t see how they won’t pass it on. I’ll go to work like I have all through. But we have the right to fight for protection for us AND the children.

[BlusteryShowers]

@Pikachubaby what do you mean by the full schedule?

It is not possible to teach children effectively from home, otherwise we'd be doing it all the time. Much of what was taught during lockdown will need to be taught again, in person using real pedagogy.

My school started off sending out 6 hours worth of lessons every day and were told resoundingly from parents that this was far too much, and the work was taking too long because of my first point.

I was at home with my toddler and a bog standard laptop while my police officer husband went to work. My planned lessons were now useless. How could I have spend 6 lessons a day delivering video link lessons? If I'd have been allowed to teach from my classroom, I would have done that.

Teachers had to completely change their way of working- effective teaching is not about just setting a task and taking it in. No instant observations and corrections, lack of effective dialogue with students, low and patchy engagement so everyone's at different stages.

I'm thankful that I was on maternity leave from the start of April as I do not envy colleagues who tried so hard to do their best by their students and still get told it was a load of shit.

[mumsneedwine]

@dottiedodah the schools will have hand washing rules. But teenagers won't always follow them. And there won't be time for 30 kids to wash hands going in and out of classrooms - most classrooms don't have sinks.

[Venicelover]

@Bridecilla

I'm with you op. I'm in FE, tiny classrooms. Big groups of adults. No communication from our managers about masks / group sizes planned. I'm definitely worried.

And me. FE is adult education and I have no idea how it will be managed from September.

I have decided to take early retirement because I am fortunate enough to be able to do so. My son who also teaches is not. I am worried for him and for all my friends who have no choice but to return to work.

[BelleSausage]

@Gurtcha

I’m not entirely sure what your point is. Could you clarify if you are saying that just because PPE isn’t perfect then we shouldn’t try to control infection rates in schools at all with mask wearing?

Teachers are not the ones trying to set up a competition about who has it worst. You are right that it should not be a race to the bottom. So why then are NHS worker blithely coming on to threads to tell teachers to stop being worried about having no safety measures beyond hand washing?

Would the NHS unions be happy if NHS staff were told no masks in hospitals? I would be outraged on your behalf. I wouldn’t be telling you to suck it up.

Teachers do not think we’re special. So much for any solidarity from other public sector workers. I volunteered to go in and staff keyworker school because I knew how helpful it would be for keyworkers to have that childcare. Posts like yours make me very much regret that choice.

[Snailsetssail]

I’m a teacher and feel the same.

Studies saying no teacher has caught it from a pupil are massively flawed- schools haven’t been open for most students for 5 months!

I want to be valued enough by the government that I’m given the same protection as other professions. Not just told to get on with it because children need education. They absolutely do, that’s the reason I came into teaching, but the risk to my own health and that of my family is very real when I’m face to face with 90 students a day.

[BelleSausage]

@mumsneedwine

That looks very much like my classroom. I could only maintain a 2m distance if I stood pressed against the wall. The windows only open and inch because of safety locks. Our lessons are 70 mins long next year.